Whimsy begat whimsy when children’s author Kimberly Hoffman spotted some of nationally-known sidewalk artist David Zinn’s captivating critters near Viewpoint Books in downtown Columbus last year.
“And I started to think about all the cool things about Columbus — all the architecture and all the artsy things such as Friendship Alley,” local resident Hoffman said. “And I thought: How cool would it be to have these two little characters running all over town having these adventures?”
Apparently pretty cool, judging by the early sales of Hoffman’s resulting children’s architectural book “Cleo and Roger Discover Columbus, Indiana” from Pen It! Publications. The work, her third book, topped children’s releases one recent week at the local Viewpoint Books, which regularly tracks its bestsellers.
Hoffman’s idea for those two little characters she mentioned morphed into squirrels. And, with some nudging from Mary Clare Speckner from the Bartholomew County Public Library, those squirrels became Cleo and Roger, named for late, long-time local librarian Cleo Rogers. She helped the current, modern local library become a reality.
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“I made this into what I would want to do here if I were a little kid,” Hoffman said. “The characters eventually took on a life of their own.”
So the squirrels scamper throughout the city and meet animal friends such as J.I. Mouse, whose round, wire-rimmed spectacles affixed by illustrator Bryan Werts give away the friendly rodent as a critter symbolic of late Columbus architectural aficionado J. Irwin Miller. The squirrels visit I.M. Pei’s library (where they spend the night in one of the second-level trees), Columbus City Hall by Charles Bassett, Zaharakos confectionary and restaurant, Kevin Roche’s Cummins Corporate Office Building (where Hoffman works as the synchronized business planning coordinator), the Bartholomew County Courthouse and other sites.
At each stop, they discover history and details — delivered, appropriately enough for young readers, in bite-size nuggets — about each structure and its designer. Early feedback has been encouraging.
“Everybody has been so excited, and they seem to love it that the characters are named for famous people,” Hoffman said. “And they love it that Zaharakos is in the book.”
The just-published work already has spun off to library tours for youngsters tracing some of the squirrels’ steps. And Hoffman plans to present architecture-oriented programs for elementary school students. She already has done disability awareness presentations among young students related to her own battle with fibromyalgia — and connected to her references to overcoming obstacles in her second book, “Sigmund Stanley Spider Squared,” about an oddly shaped spider overcoming what he sees as impossibilities.
Beth Stroh, co-owner of Viewpoint Books, said parents and grandparents have purchased the book for their children and grandchildren.
“It’s really great to have an architecture book for kids,” Stroh said. “Because the local architecture is sometimes hard to explain to children.”
At the author’s Rocky Ford Road home she shares with husband and book author Paul Hoffman, Aim Media Indiana’s former group special publications editor, she’s often writing in the evenings on her laptop on the porch or the backyard swing, weather permitting. Her spouse, a longtime newspaper journalist and editor, regularly has complimented her work.
But he makes ample room for humor, too.
“I’m extremely jealous of her,” he deadpanned as she broke up laughing.
Then he turned serious.
“Actually, and I’ve told this to other people: One of the most important things she does (in her school and other presentations) is connect so well with the kids. And she has a heart of unconditional love for them.”
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What: Columbus native and writer Kimberly Hoffman’s latest children’s book "Cleo and Roger Discover Columbus, Indiana," from Pen It! Publications and available locally at Viewpoint Books and the Columbus Area Visitors Center and online via various websites. The work is in hardback and paperback, and a companion coloring book also is available.
About Kimberly: Besides writing children’s books (she has three), she serves as the synchronized business planning coordinator for Cummins Inc. She and husband Paul have six children together and one grandchild.
A companion project to the book: Hoffman is hoping to do architecture-related presentations for area elementary school students. (She also already has done one children’s architecture tour through the local library, allowing youngsters to follow main characters Cleo and Roger on their tour of locally noted buildings).
Scheduling presentations: Hoffman can be reached at [email protected].
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